Painted Lady - Orcombe Point - looking at home in desert-like conditions.
Two Six-belted Clearwings in two days but no photo. To say I'm frustrated is a massive understatement! I found them in a big Bird's Foot Trefoil patch, alongside the cycle path, about 7 or 800 metres up from Mudbank, not far from West Lodge. I was trying to count the small Common Blue colony in the same area, when I first found one yesterday. That was at about 2pm, and I found another at roughly the same time, in the same area, today. Despite having the butterfly net with me I was too slow to react before it vanished. If I can't photograph one this summer I'll buy the pheromone lure in the winter. They were out of stock when I purchased my Yellow-legged/Orange-tailed lure a few weeks ago. Having said that, if anyone reading this blog has the pheromone in their freezer, would you be interested in loaning it to me? I'd happily come and pick it up!
I did my first Orcombe trip early this morning, but it was very quiet with just 4+ Willow Warbler and a Grey Wagtail on the migrant front.
On Maer Rocks there were singles of Dunlin and Turnstone, plus two juvenile Mediterranean Gulls. Offshore were 30+ Sandwich Tern and at least 10 Common Tern.
I had a quick look at Bull Hill, from the Quay, and noted a dozen Mediterranean Gulls, c100 Sandwich Terns, 2 Dunlin, 6 Sanderling and 2 Canada Geese. A small number of Common Terns was also resting on the sand.
Yesterday I counted at least 130 Sandwich Tern and 12+ Common Tern on Bull Hill, and at least 20 Whimbrel were off Mudbank where the Mallard count has risen to 56+
Willow Warbler - juvenile - one of at least 4 birds on Orcombe this morning.
Blackcap - one of two in elders on Orcombe this morning - presumably local birds.
Sandwich Tern - Maer Rocks
A fabulous juvenile Yellow-legged Gull off Mudbank. They're still trickling through but I must be missing loads, as I'm not spending a lot of time looking.
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